Tesla’s brand ratings by in-market car shoppers have recently taken a sharp downturn since the highly publicized Model S battery fires and the announcement of a government investigationat the end of November, breaking a trend of a steady climb in shopper sentiment for the brand this year.

Tesla started 2013 with just about 1% of new car intenders giving the brand a strong preference onMyProductAdvisor.com, which gives free unbiased and customized car recommendations based on shoppers’ individual preferences. Extremely positive press from Consumer Reports in May and Tesla’s aggressive promotion of its NHTSA crash test results August may have helped boost Tesla’s standing, which had doubled to slightly over 2% by October. But the recent barrage of negative press has brought Tesla’s preference down to 1.3% in early December.

Has your perception of Tesla changed? Would a Tesla or another electric vehicle fit your unique preferences?